Changes
by TydRipper1
Summary: Changes in the lives of Ranma characters, Post volume 38.
1. Tatewaki Kuno: Changes of the Sword

Changes of the Sword  
  
By Kyle Emmerson  
  
Ranma ½ and all of its characters and situations are  
the creation and property of Rumiko Takahashi. I use  
these characters and situations without permission.  
  
****  
  
People oft wonder about me. The way I dress, the way  
I act, the way I speak.  
  
Gods, even I wonder about myself. I wasn't always  
like this. I was once a normal boy. I had the desires of the  
normal boy. I wanted the newest toy on the market. I wanted  
to be the first on my block. I played video games, I  
even had friends.  
  
And then, it happened. It was so sudden that it  
didn't start taking its effect upon me for some time. Nearly  
a month.  
  
The death of my mother hit my father first. He was  
silent for weeks, not speaking a word. And then suddenly, he  
was gone. I had returned from school to find that he had  
left for Hawaii, leaving my sister and I in the care of  
the servants.  
  
My sister was the second casualty. I saw a change in  
her as I'd never seen. She used to be a pleasant girl.  
Fighting over the affections of boys in her class, drawing  
pretty hearts on her schoolwork.  
  
But soon, she drew roses. Not red or pink, as one  
would expect from a girl, but black. Black roses, as dark as  
the night. It took her two months for her personality to  
make the transition from a sweet, twelve year old school  
girl, to the Black Rose. What was before a mere hobby  
then became her life.  
  
She had always enjoyed gymnastics. It often pleased  
me to watch her practice her routine. To smile with pride as  
she successfully completed a complicated manoeuvre, and to  
laugh boyishly when she would fall down.  
  
It soon became torture. She started to live her  
hobby. Her gymnastics were everything, and she would stop at  
nothing to win. I've often been frightened of her taking  
things to far, even to the point of injury, or death.  
  
I could never pinpoint the exact moment she turned  
that cold, from such a warm, caring individual. I could  
never understand why she turned. When she started regarding  
me with silence, and wearing a leotard under her school  
uniform daily, I left in search of my own resolution.  
  
It was around that time when I realized the friends  
I had, the ones I played with daily. My friends who would  
cheer me up when I was sad, and be happy when I was happy  
were no longer with me.  
  
They hadn't left. Not in the physical sense, but  
they were gone from me. I had pushed them away after the  
death of my mother, when I didn't even realize what I was  
doing.  
  
There was nothing for me any longer. I had to keep  
ahold of my sanity for as long as I could.  
  
And so, Tatchi Kuno, at age fourteen, became  
Tatewaki Kuno, rising star of the Kendo world.  
  
Kendo soon became my life, as Gymnastics had with my  
sister. Of course, I had never let it progress so far in my  
mind as she had. I could still hold on to some of my sanity.  
  
I say some. Yes, I know I am not completely sane. No  
man is, but I more than others.  
  
I was sixteen when I met Akane Tendo. It had been my  
first year at Furinkan High, and Akane was taking a tour  
with students from her Junior High School. I had introduced  
myself to her. She seemed disinterested at first, but I kept  
on her.  
  
Akane, I remember how beautiful she was with her  
long hair. How it bounced with her as she ran. Her  
gracefulness as she fought off the hordes of students  
fighting for her affection.  
  
I realized what I had done. But I believed my  
affections for her would overcome that. I was wrong.  
  
It was soon after my second year at Furinkan, that  
he arrived.  
  
The 'demon'. Ranma Saotome. I wish I could have seen  
him for what he really was at the beginning, but I was too  
blinded. Both by Akane Tendo, and soon later, the pig-tailed  
girl.  
  
I see now what he is though. Ranma Saotome is no  
demon. He is an honourable man, willing to fight for what he  
believes in.  
  
And he doesn't like me.  
  
That isn't completely true, I suppose. I think he  
harboured some feelings of friendship. How he helped me when  
my sister had stolen my 'album'. When he cheered for me when  
Mariko was expressing her affections.  
  
Had I known he was the pig-tailed girl from the  
beginning, a friendship could have been salvaged. But now,  
after all I've done to him, it's impossible. There is always  
the chance of acquaintances, but no more than that.  
  
Ranma Saotome sees me as an annoyance.  
  
As does Akane Tendo.  
  
They see me as more than that now.  
  
I look back upon the last few years of my life, and  
I feel helpless. There is nothing I can change. When I had  
the chance to change something, I did not. Call it fear,  
call it insanity rising from the quarries of my soul, but I  
gave up the chance. The wishing sword. And all I had to show  
for it was a simple date with a MAN.  
  
It took me a long time to realize it. Ranma Saotome  
and the pig-tailed girl were the same person. It happened  
shortly after the first failed wedding. After coming home  
triumphant from stopping the wedding, I had retired to my  
chamber. The next morning, I was dead-set to teach Ranma  
Saotome a lesson.  
  
I was so dead-set, that I brought my katana.  
  
That day was the worst of my life.  
  
That was the day of my dishonour. The day that led  
up to this one.  
  
If I had not been so blind to see that I had caused  
the wound upon Akane's arm myself, I could have saved  
dishonour. Not all of it, but most. For it was what I had  
done next that had ruined everything.  
  
I was blind with rage. I had truly believed in my  
heart that Ranma had caused the wound as retaliation for  
what had happened the day before.  
  
I attacked. I attacked with rage and fury as I've  
never had before.  
  
And Ranma was good enough to block, but luck may  
smile upon anyone. And it did upon me. The negative luck,  
for both parties.  
  
The sword cut deep into his stomach. It had missed  
all major organs, thankfully. He would live, but the scar  
would always be there. Weeks after the incident, he would be  
as active as he was the day before, with all the  
ability plus even more.  
  
But there was still the scar. The scar *I* had  
caused. The sword *I* plunged into him. The dishonour *I*  
had brought upon myself.  
  
And then he had fallen into the pool. He staggered  
there, with the blood pouring from him. And then I had seen.  
And then I had understood.  
  
It was after I had confirmation that he would live  
that I left, never to see them again.  
  
And it leads up to this day. The day that I kneel  
here, in my family Dojo. My pen in hand, my tanto before me,  
and my sister behind.  
  
And now it happens. Now I save the name of the Kuno  
family, and now I take that which should never have existed  
in the first place.  
  
Now is the day that all shall find out. Tatewaki  
Kuno never existed. Nor did Tatchi Kuno, the carefree youth.  
  
The Black Rose may one day find herself in my  
position. Who would mediate, I wonder? Perhaps father. No.  
He wouldn't. His mind has long since been lost.  
  
It matters not now.  
  
I pick up the tanto and ready myself before the  
family altar.  
  
I can hear my sister behind me. Her breathing seems  
laboured, but she knows what to do after I've done what must  
be.  
  
I place the tanto to my stomach. I can feel the  
tears of helplessness streaming from my eyes. I can feel my  
gut clenching in disgust at what is about to happen.  
  
But there is something else. Butterflies? Am I  
nervous to soon be joining the afterdeath? What does it  
matter. I strengthen my arms and look towards the altar.  
  
And in one swift movement, it is done. I can feel  
the warmth spreading out against my lower half as it seeps  
out from inside of me. I can feel... body parts escaping  
from the bloody hole I had made.  
  
Intestines. I am holding my intestines.  
  
It doesn't hurt. I cry loudly, but I feel no  
physical pain. But I want it to be over. Gods, I want it to  
be over. My sister should have finished it by this time.  
  
I look back briefly. I see my sister, her eyes  
streaming with tears. For a brief moment, I could see  
Kodachi. Not the Black Rose, but Kodachi. My real sister.  
The one that had died years ago.  
  
She then looked at me, and she said something. I  
could hear nothing over the sound of my own heart, but she  
said something. Something of meaning.  
  
And then she clenched the sword, and pulled it up.  
She closed her eyes tightly, and then swung in a wide arc.  
  
Though I could feel the pain as the katana entered  
my neck, it didn't matter. It was over. Tatewaki Kuno was no  
more, nor had he ever been. The honour of the Kuno family  
was saved. For now.  
  
And I look back upon my life, and I cry. I look back  
upon myself, my dead body lying on the floor of my family  
Dojo, and I smile. I smile, content in the knowledge that my  
dishonour has been repaid. My dishonour would never  
again resurface.  
  
And I look before me, hanging in limbo in the  
afterdeath. I see roads to take, and tracks to cover.  
  
I sit in wait for a resolution that would never  
come. For the fates to tell me, 'Tatewaki, you have served  
your purpose.' But it won't happen. I know. I know now, and  
I knew then.  
  
I could have different. I could have been a friend.  
I could have been an ally. I could have been loved by  
someone.  
  
But now, I sit. Loved by no one. I sit in the dark,  
and can do nothing but contemplate.  
  
I sit for eternity, only wondering what could have  
been different.  
  
But nothing changes.  
  



	2. Kodachi Kuno: Changes of the Rose

Changes of the Rose  
  
By Kyle Emmerson  
  
Ranma ½ and all of its characters and situations are  
the creation and property of Rumiko Takahashi. I use  
these characters and situations without permission.  
  
****  
  
People have wondered about me. It was not until  
recently that I had realized why, but they had.  
  
Perhaps it was soon after my brothers death. Perhaps  
it was during. Who knows? The point remains, that it  
happened.  
  
The Black Rose had died, and only Kodachi Kuno  
remained.  
  
The events leading to the death of my brother belong  
in another story, this however, is mine.  
  
Long ago, in a much quieter neighbourhood than this,  
there lived a family. A family of one mother, one father,   
one sister and one brother.  
  
Surprising how little it takes to send all of that  
crashing down.  
  
There was something different about me. Seperate  
from the tortures both my father and brother had endured. I  
was the youngest in the family. I had lost my mother at the  
age of twelve, but it didn't hit me until months later.  
Months later, when The Black Rose came to surface.  
  
I don't really know how it started, per se. It just  
happened. Piece by piece, Kodachi Kuno was becoming non-  
existant, until the eventual point where The Black Rose had  
taken complete control.  
  
Soon afterwards, I lost my brother to the madness.  
Little did I know then, that the madness would consume him.  
  
The day that The Black Rose met Ranma Saotome was  
actually the re-emergence of Kodachi. Most people believe  
Kodachi returned after the shock of losing a brother to  
Seppuku of all things. No. In a Black Rose state of mind,  
Kodachi Kuno latched on to Ranma Saotome. I saw him as an  
escape. The only way to rid myself of The Black Rose, but  
The Black Rose was the one who had latched onto him in the  
first place.  
  
Years had passed before Kodachi had completely  
returned.  
  
I do believe that Ranma was the trigger, but I  
believe the death of my brother was the explosion. I can  
still remember holding the sword in my hand, hesitating for  
a moment, nearly ready to drop the sword, cradle my brother  
in my arms and hope he would live.  
  
But it was too late. I had promised my brother. And  
I believe I did him a favour. He would not have lived much  
longer before he had taken his full life by his own hand.  
  
And I saved him the dishonour of doing so. I can  
vividly remember the feeling of the family katana passing  
through the flesh of his neck and throat. I can still hear  
the grotesque thump as his head had hit the floor. I can  
still feel the blood on my hand and face.  
  
And then the police arrived. It was something I  
would to preferred not to have dealt with, but it had to be  
done. And it was.  
  
Tatewaki Kuno had never existed.  
  
Oh but he did. And he still does, in the heart of  
Kodachi Kuno. Not the Black Rose. Not the evil botanist  
woman that Kodachi once was, but Kodachi herself.  
  
I will always remember my brother.  
  
Years have passed since that incident. Ranma and  
Akane often visit me, to share old times. I can see the  
sadness in both of them whenever Tatewaki's name was brought  
up.  
  
I bear them no ill will. Tatewaki took his life by  
his own choice, and they were the ones dishonoured by he. I  
see them as friends. They see me similiarly.  
  
But they come, they visit. Akane is pregnant now,  
after being married for two years. It's about time, I must  
say. Since I had accepted the loss of Ranma--... No, wait.  
Not a loss. I never had him to begin with.  
  
Once I had accepted their feelings for one another,  
I found it remarkably easy to feel good for them. To hope  
for their lives to take a better turn than I or my brothers  
did.  
  
Years have passed, and I still find myself longing  
for something. I don't know if I will ever understand what  
that something could be, but I hope I will. And I hope some  
day I can fill that void.  
  
I think the void is Tatewaki, to tell the truth. I  
can always guess, but never identify.  
  
From time to time, I can feel The Black Rose  
returning. My solitude seems to bring her back. Just last  
month, I found myself laughing maniacly... THAT laugh, at my  
own face in the mirror.  
  
I had to return to the hospital after that. I just  
got back yesterday.  
  
Don't misunderstand, I'm not forced to go to the  
hospital. I go of my own free will. I know I will never be  
truly rid of The Black Rose, but I can suppress her. I can  
prevent her from ever taking dominance over the life of  
Kodachi Kuno again.  
  
And apparently, as I've found out yesterday, there  
are others. Friends that are willing to help.  
  
Had I known that the people in my life were so  
caring, so thoughtful, I would have never let The Black Rose  
take control.  
  
Yesterday, Akane visited me in the hospital. Ranma,  
as well. We had a nice cup of tea and talked of things. Of  
everything.  
  
We spoke of Akane's pregnancy. The baby was kicking,  
I heard.  
  
We spoke of the latest quest to find a 'cure' for  
Ranma's curse. It's funny. I don't see it as a curse, in any  
respect. I see it as a blessing. But then, that would be my  
opinion.  
  
And finally, we spoke of me. We spoke of my progress  
in the hospital, and we spoke of the regressions I suffer at  
home.  
  
And then, they offered. They offered me something  
that nobody, not even my servants or doctors have ever  
offered me.  
  
They offered me a home. A real home, with a real  
family. To live with friends as though they were family.  
  
The eldest Tendo daughters had long since moved from  
the Tendo home. That meant two empty rooms. One was being  
transformed into a nursery, and the other... was offered to  
me.  
  
I was speechless. Here, the two people I found I  
cared most about in the world offered me a home. A real  
home, after all I'd done to them.  
  
My mind often wanders on me. Some parts tell me it's  
merely pity. But it didn't stop me from accepting.  
  
And accept it, I did. And I soon found that the void  
in my life was feeling more full.  
  
They were accepting *ME*. Kodachi Kuno, into their  
family.  
  
That brings me to where I am now. I pick up the last  
of my things from my bedroom, and then walk out the door.  
That would be the last time I ever set foot in it.  
  
And now, I walk towards the front entrance, ready to  
leave the 'home' I've lived in for all my life.  
  
And then, one of the servants attract my attention.  
He runs up to me, holding something in his hand.  
  
'Mistress Kodachi!' He yells. 'You forgot this!'   
  
I am content in the fact that the servants will not  
become unemployed. My father still lives at the mansion, and  
he has more use for the servants. He has sinced regained his  
sanity after Tatewaki's death.  
  
I soon recognize the object in the servants hand.  
  
It is my ribbon. My old gymnastics ribbon.  
  
I sigh as I speak. 'I have no need of it,' I tell  
him. 'return it to the room, and place it next to the other  
reminders. In one day, take all that is in that room and  
place it in the yard.'  
  
The servant looked confused for a moment.  
  
'Burn it. All of it.'  
  
I turn away, and continue walking. To my new home. A  
home I feel I can remain happy in.  
  
'Auntie Kodachi' The little ones would call me. Who  
knows, perhaps some day I would bear little ones of my own.  
  
But, although the doctors say I will never be rid of  
The Black Rose, I feel hopeful, that through friendship and  
family. My new family, that one of those 'medical miracles'  
would happen.  
  
I walk down the road to my new home, and I cry. Not  
from grief, but happiness. And I cry even harder once I  
realize, that I have never once cried from happiness.  
  
I am Kodachi Kuno. I am no longer alone.  
  



	3. Akane Tendo: Changes of the Heart

Changes of the Heart  
  
By Kyle Emmerson  
  
Ranma ½ and all of its characters and situations are  
the creation and property of Rumiko Takahashi. I use  
these characters and situations without permission.  
  
  
****  
  
It's late. Oh Gods it's late. I don't want this to  
happen now. Not now, in the middle of the night. I wanted it  
to happen during the day.  
  
But it's not happening like that. And now I sit  
here, preparing for the worst. I forget who told me that.  
Always prepare for the worst, and the best will happen.  
  
But as it is, I sit here, in bed next to Ranma... My  
husband.  
  
And I'm in labour.  
  
It didn't take much to wake him up. I shook him a  
little first, but after getting no response, I crammed my  
elbow into his side.  
  
Don't get me wrong, I don't hurt him on a regular  
basis! At least, not anymore. I wouldn't be doing this to  
him if I didn't already know he could take it.  
  
It's funny. The man has endurance the likes nobody  
has ever seen, fine honed martial artist skills. Enough  
strength to toss a bulldozer down the street... And he won't  
even wake up when elbowed in the side.  
  
So I just said two words. 'It's time.'  
  
I've never seen Ranma move so fast. He was up, and  
halfway out the door to the hospital when he remembered the  
most important thing. Me.  
  
On our way down the stairs, Ranma made a stop by  
Kodachi's room. I had wanted her to be there for the birth  
of my child. After all she'd been through, it was the least  
we could do.  
  
She was already awake apparently. I didn't dare wake  
my father up, knowing full well of the help he would bring  
to the situation, which is to say, none. Sure, he would be  
angry in the morning, but he would forgive us.  
  
And now, we're out the door. One of the perks of  
living with Kodachi was the car. Before, Ranma and I had to  
walk everywhere we went, but as a gift, Kodachi bought us  
the car.  
  
Actually no. It was her car, even if she refused to  
admit it. She drove it, while Ranma and I walked. But this  
night, it was imperative that we drive.  
  
And then Kodachi was at the wheel, and Ranma was in  
the back seat, going through the breathing exercises with  
me.  
  
Hee hee hee hoo. Hee hee hee hoo. It's ridiculous,  
really. Like breathing in a different way was going to ease  
the pain. But I suppose it made Ranma feel more helpful.  
More comfortable with what was about to happen.  
  
I remember the entire courting ritual the both of us  
went through years ago. I think I finally admitted to myself  
that I loved him after... after Jusendo.  
  
It was actually at Jusendo when I found he cared for  
me. I found I cared for him before that. But the problem  
with real life, is that there are always complications. At  
that time, the complication was a winged kid-turned-adult  
named Saffron.  
  
Oh, and did I mention I was turned into a doll? No,  
not the time I switched bodies with a haunted doll, this  
time was different. I was the doll. All the water in my body  
had dissipated, and I was beginning to die.  
  
If it weren't for Ranma, I would have. It was that  
simple. He turned the dragon tap with his Hiryu Gyoten Ha,  
and we were both encased in ice-cold water.  
  
And he was female, and I was human again. I guess  
you could call it an aftereffect of the dehydration, but I  
couldn't move for several moments. In fact, I thought I was  
dead until I managed to reach up and stroke his face.  
  
And then we came home, and then there was the  
wedding. And then there wasn't. The failed wedding is  
another story altogether, but what happened the next day was  
a harsh reminder of reality.  
  
If I ever once truly hated someone, if anyone, it was  
on that day. I suppose I shouldn't think that way about the  
dead, but my anger was blinding me at the time.  
  
It was so sudden. One minute, I was running to  
school with Ranma, and the next minute, we're both on the  
school grounds, being attacked by K--... By Tatewaki.  
  
Apparently I had taken him off-guard when I tried to  
disarm him. I couldn't believe he brought his katana to  
school. It was bad enough that he brought it to the wedding,  
but the school?  
  
Trying to disarm him had been a mistake. I cried out  
in pain and he turned around. He looked at me and saw the  
cut wound on my arm, and automatically assumed the worse.  
  
He assumed Ranma had done it.  
  
And then he attacked Ranma.  
  
I suppose it's not completely his fault. Sometimes I  
blame myself for it, and I know Ranma blames himself. He  
should have been able to block it more effectively. But  
there's only so much one can do to defend himself against  
cold steel, when all you have is flesh protecting you.  
  
And then it happened. Tatewaki had plunged the sword  
into his stomach. Ranma Saotome, the man who had fought a  
god and lived. Ranma Saotome, who rescued me from the Yamata  
no Orochi at Ryugenzawa. Ranma Saotome, who had successfully  
received the cure for the curse-locking ladle, had been  
stabbed in the gut.  
  
And then he fell into the pool.  
  
I don't know what possessed me to jump in after him.  
I knew I couldn't swim, and my arm hurt like you wouldn't  
believe, but I dove in after him.  
  
And I managed to pull him to the surface.  
  
I pulled him onto the concrete and checked his  
pulse. It was there, but faint. He wasn't even breathing.  
  
I was almost certain he was going to die.  
  
I did the only thing I could do. The thing I had  
learned from a special class I had once taken at the  
hospital.  
  
I gave Ranma Saotome mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.  
  
I ripped off his shirt as fast as I could. I briefly  
noticed that he was a she, but that didn't matter.  
  
Yuka was staring at us horrifically. She took the  
class with me, she would know what to do. I called her over,  
and she head Ranma's head still, lifting the front of her  
jaw up so as to allow free access to her airway, she kept it  
still.  
  
I mapped my fingers on his--her chest. Right where  
the rib bones meet, and then placed the heel of my hand  
between her breasts, just above where I had mapped my  
fingers, and compressed.  
  
One. Two. Three. Four. Five.  
  
One. Two. Three. Four. Ten.  
  
One. Two. Three. Four. Fifteen.  
  
Switch positions. I pinched her nose and clamped my  
mouth over hers.  
  
I blew. One. Two. Three. Four.  
  
No success. I had to try again. I knew I did. Even  
though I recalled the statistics.  
  
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation only has a ten  
percent success rate.  
  
And so I went through the motions again. Mapping.  
Compressing. Breathing.  
  
And then I got a reaction.  
  
She coughed, and vomited water.  
  
And all I could do was cry.  
  
She remained silent for a long time, until the  
ambulance arrived. The paramedic confirmed my hopes. Ranma  
would live, and then we went into the ambulance together.  
  
I still remember what he said to me. 'I feel like a  
Gorilla was pounding on my chest.'  
  
And I laughed. I laughed as I cried, and then I  
hugged him.  
  
And he hugged me back.  
  
And then I looked at him, my eyes meeting his. Hers,  
actually.  
  
And we shared our first kiss. I didn't care that he  
was a girl at the time. He was a man underneath. He was a  
man the whole way.  
  
Ranma Saotome the man I loved.  
  
Of course, that didn't stop the paramedic in the  
back with us from giving us strange looks.  
  
The next day, Ranma was released from the hospital,  
and three days later, we heard the news.  
  
Ranma was still somewhat weak when we found out. It  
was actually me that found out. At the school. Nabiki had  
come to the class looking rather somber, and attracted my  
attention.  
  
And then she told me.  
  
Tatewaki Kuno was dead. He had committed Seppuku the  
night before.  
  
And it wasn't long before I had regretted every bad  
thing I had said about him in the past few days before that.  
  
Nabiki was hit harder than I was. I found out that  
she truly had cared for him, not just as a business  
associate, but truly CARED.  
  
And then I saw how much at his funeral.  
  
That's right. He had a funeral. Usually that wasn't  
how things went when one committed Seppuku. They were  
supposed to be forgotten, not remembered.  
  
But Tatewaki was remembered. All of us were there. I  
was even surprised to see Happosai and Cologne attend. Why  
Cologne attended, I had no idea at the time. But afterwards,  
I found out.  
  
Cologne had come to say goodbye. Shampoo as well.  
  
Apparently she heard from Shampoo what had happened  
at Jusendo, and made the decision.  
  
Those Joketsuzoku loopholes were funny things. They  
creep up on you from nowhere. Apparently, if Ranma was in  
love with another, the Kiss of Marriage becomes completely  
null and void.  
  
And so Shampoo left without another word. She went  
back to China.  
  
Funny thing, though. Because we kept in contact.  
Shampoo would write letters. Her Japanese is improving a  
lot. Apparently, she plans to visit again some day.  
  
Ukyou seemed to take the news well, too. It was  
apparent that she had long since accepted the fact that  
Ranma would have chosen me.  
  
And all Ukyou did was smile. And nod. She's still  
around, surprisingly. I thought for sure that we had hurt  
her, but she's strong. Sometimes I see the longing gaze in  
her eyes as she looks at Ranma, but that's long since been  
gone. Since she had better things to worry about.  
  
Her own husband.  
  
The funny thing was, Konatsu looked good in a  
wedding dress.  
  
It's a good thing Ukyou made him change, or else the  
Priest would have walked out right then and there.  
  
And now they live together above the Ucchan. Man and  
Wife. I suppose someday they'll move to a larger place.  
After all, if they plan to have children some day, they  
should be raised in a home, not a business.  
  
But I'm happy for them anyway. I'm also happy that  
though we were, in essence, competing for the affections of  
the same man, we remained friends through to the end.  
  
And so we were. Ukyou Kuonji was my friend. And  
Ranma's friend.  
  
I still think the only reason Ranma eats there is  
because of the discounts he gets on meals.  
  
Then there was Ryouga.  
  
That is a story in and of itself. Had I known from  
the beginning who 'P-Chan' really was, I'd have gone haywire  
on him.  
  
But when I found out, Ranma, of all people,  
protected him.  
  
Protected him from me.  
  
As I've found out, Ranma has his reasons for  
everything. His reason for not telling me about Ryouga was a  
promise. A promise that I blamed him for.  
  
That was our first real fight. We had almost  
separated after that.  
  
But we didn't. We didn't because I realized that in  
the same position, I would have done exactly what he did.  
  
My perspective of Ryouga changed after that. Before  
what I saw as a kind, sweet, caring and sometimes senseless  
individual, I saw as a pervert.  
  
But now... I don't know. He and Akari visit often,  
But Ryouga still gets edgy whenever he's in the same room as  
me. In fact, the only time we make eye contact is when we're  
in the middle of a talk, with Ranma and Akari in the room  
too.  
  
But I'm not mad at him anymore. My perspective of  
him has changed, but I'm no longer mad. I look back, and I  
realize while I would not have done the same thing, there  
were factors that were my fault completely.  
  
When I first found him, he tried to escape. But *I*  
was the one who held him close. And then he saw me as a way  
to get back at Ranma.  
  
I don't know if he actually did care for me, or it  
was an infatuation. Either way, I'm somewhat flattered.  
  
And I'm proud of Ranma. For protecting his friend,  
no matter what he had done. No matter how much it had hurt  
him, he protected Ryouga.  
  
And then, after that one event, we were married.  
  
We could wait no longer. Everyone else was out of  
the way, so to speak, and it seemed the right time.  
  
A year after Tatewaki's death, we married.  
  
And I haven't had a regret since.  
  
Last year, we saw Kodachi. She didn't notice us at  
first, but when she did, she swiftly started to move away.  
  
It confused us at first. Kodachi, who was really so  
forward towards Ranma, ran away from us.  
  
We had ourselves a little investigation.  
  
It didn't take us long to put two and two together,  
and figure things out. Nabiki had even been more than  
willing to help us out. She had found out of the hospital.  
  
The hospital. Hell, she had even gotten us records.  
  
And then our hearts went out to her. Of the torture  
she endured after her mother's death. Worse than I ever could  
have imagined after my own mother's death. And then her  
brother's death didn't help things at all.  
  
Then we read about 'The Black Rose'.  
  
We found out who she really was, and who Kodachi  
was.  
  
And we did the only thing we could do. We became her  
friends.  
  
And she became ours.  
  
And then we received the news from Doctor Tofu.  
  
I was pregnant.  
  
Nabiki had moved out three months later, and left  
her room to us. We decided to turn it into a nursery.  
  
Which left Kasumi's room.  
  
I had since moved out of my room, and now lived in  
the old 'guest room' with Ranma. Ranma's father had in turn  
moved to Auntie Nodoka's place.  
  
Happosai still lived downstairs.  
  
Which left two empty bedrooms.  
  
My old room, and Kasumi's.  
  
So it came time to make an important decision.  
  
It was actually my idea to invite Kodachi to live  
with us. She had not shown any signs of hostility since  
before her brother died, and living in that big house with  
nobody but her servants couldn't be healthy for her.  
  
She didn't have friends at all, and Ranma and I were  
determined to fix that.  
  
So we invited her into our home. Some people thought  
it was a mistake. That it would make her old feelings about  
Ranma resurface, but we weren't worried about that. I love  
Ranma, and he loves me. Of all things, I'm not worried about  
losing him to someone else.  
  
So she moved into my old room.  
  
And here we are, months later, driving like a bat  
out of hell to the hospital.  
  
It turned out Kodachi was as nervous as Ranma, if  
not more.  
  
'Kodachi,' I said, 'I think we want to arrive at the  
hospital in one piece.'  
  
Kodachi blinked, and then nodded. I had to laugh at  
that. She looked almost comical at the wheel, with her eyes  
wired open.  
  
And within minutes, we were there.  
  
After another minute, they determined I was in true  
labour, and I was already dilated by 6 centimeters.  
  
They had to force my water to break. For some  
reason, it wouldn't break on it's own, and after that, it  
was all downhill.  
  
It took three hours for our first child to be born.  
Both Ranma and Kodachi helped me through the entire thing.  
Ranma with his breathing, and Kodachi with her comical  
ramblings.  
  
It's strange. I'd never have expected the old  
Kodachi to act in such a way, but this Kodachi, the real  
Kodachi did. And I appreciated it.  
  
Even when she fainted, and Ranma had to wake her up.  
  
And now, both of them are beside me, looking into  
the eyes of the first child of the Saotomes. It was a boy.  
  
And I know Kodachi will appreciate this.  
  
I look at Ranma and smile. He nods his assent, and I  
begin to speak.  
  
'I think he should be named after someone we  
remember, and miss.'  
  
Ranma nodded. Kodachi remained silent.  
  
'Kodachi, Ranma and I have discussed this, and we  
think that the boy should be named... Tatewaki.'  
  
And Kodachi was still silent. Speechless was more  
like it. But when I saw the tears well up in her eyes, I  
knew. I knew we had made her happy, and for some reason,  
making Kodachi happy was as important to us as our  
relationship.  
  
Three years ago, I never would have taken this much  
pleasure in making her happy. But now I do.  
  
It's strange how we all go through changes. 


End file.
